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SIU Med Students Receive Scholarships

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Auburn native Rachel Schmalsof received the J.S. Templeton, MD, Memorial Scholarship. Schmalsof is the daughter of Karen Schmidt of Auburn and the late Brent Schmalshof. She is a 2011 graduate of Auburn High School and a 2015 graduate of Elmhurst College. The Templeton Scholarship was established in 1993 by Harriss Malan of Carbondale and Jane Templeton Minton of DuQuoin, in memory of their uncle and father, Dr. James Scott Templeton. Templeton was a general practitioner who served the Pinckneyville area for more than 60 years. He also was a founder of Pinckneyville Community Hospital.
 
Bunker Hill native Shelby Markel received the Dr. Margaret Wilson Scholarship. Markel is the daughter of Paul and Shelle Markel. She is a 2012 graduate of Bunker Hill High School and a 2016 graduate of Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. The Wilson Scholarship was established in 2016 by Dr. Margaret Wilson, a retired pediatrician whose husband, Dr. Charles Wilson, is a retired professor in the SIU School of Medicine Department of Urology. The scholarship is awarded to a female medical student.
 
Carlyle native Kody Bolk received the J. Kevin Dorsey, MD, PhD Scholarship. Bolk is the son of Tim and Carrie Bolk of Carlyle. He is a 2010 graduate of Carlyle High School and a 2014 graduate of McKendree University. The Dorsey Scholarship was established in 2017 by Southern Illinois University School of Medicine alumni and friends in honor of J. Kevin Dorsey, MD, PhD, dean emeritus at SIU School of Medicine. Dorsey earned his doctorate in biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin at Madison and joined SIU School of Medicine in 1973, where he taught biochemistry to freshmen as one of its founding faculty members. He later became a medical student, earning his medical degree at SIU in 1978 and serving as a professor of internal medicine. After completing an internal medicine residency at the University of Iowa and a fellowship in rheumatology, Dorsey returned to SIU Medicine to practice rheumatology and teach medical students at SIU School of Medicine. He served as dean and provost of the medical school from 2001-2015. He remains an active member of the faculty.
 
Effingham native Travis Fulk has received the Gerald M. and Neva Woodall Scholarship. Fulk is the son of Steven and Cheryl Fulk of Effingham. He is a 2012 graduate of Effingham High School and a 2015 graduate of Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville.The Woodall Scholarship was established in 2004 by the couple’s estate. Gerald Woodall wanted to become a physician, but was unable to study medicine due to financial hardships.
 
Atlanta, Georgia, native Theodore Harper received the Harold Bardo Scholarship. Harper is the son of the late Theodore Harper Jr. and Carolyn Harper of Atlanta, Georgia. He is a 1999 graduate of Benjamin Mays High School and a 2003 graduate of Morehouse College in Atlanta. Bardo served as director of the Medical/Dental Education Preparatory Program (MEDPREP) at SIU School of Medicine for nearly 30 years before his retirement in 2014.
 
Flora native Caleb Lusk, along with Chester native Mollie Laramore, received the Southern Illinois Medical Association (SIMA) Scholarship. Lusk is the son of Louie and Doris Lusk of Flora. He is a 2002 graduate of Flora High School and a 2006 graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is also a 2011 graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, as well as a 2017 Southern Illinois University at Carbondale graduate. Laramore is the daughter of Jeffrey and Victoria Laramore of Chester. She is a 2010 graduate of Chester High School and a 2014 graduate of Southeast Missouri State University. The SIMA scholarship is awarded annually to two fourth-year medical students from the southern Illinois area who plan to practice in primary care medicine.
 
Iuka native Andrew Partain received the God at the Speed of Light Scholarship. Partain is the son of Thomas and Donna Partain of Iuka. He is a 2013 graduate of Salem Community High School and a 2016 graduate of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. The God at the Speed of Light Scholarship was established in 2004 by Dr. Thomas Lee Baumann of Birmingham, Ala., who is an SIU graduate from the Class of 1976. Baumann is a writer and author of “God at the Speed of Light, The Melding of Science and Spirituality,” a book about faith and science. Previously, he was a practicing internal medicine physician in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. He and his wife, Dr. Brenda Morgan Baumann, a team physician for the University of Alabama at Birmingham and an SIU School of Medicine graduate from the Class of 1976, met while in medical school. She is originally from Pinckneyville. His parents, Dr. and Mrs. Milton Baumann, resided in Springfield for many years.
 
Mount Vernon native Dominic Phemister received the Kate Burkhart Medical Scholarship Endowment. Phemister is the spouse of Samantha Phemister. He is a 2006 graduate of Webber Township High School and a 2014 graduate of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. The Burkhart Scholarship was established in 2003 by Kate Burkhart Daniel, a 1938 graduate of Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. Her grandfather, James Monroe Burkhart, was a trustee of the university in the 1890s when it was called Southern Illinois Normal University. Her father, Carl Burkhart, was an 1897 graduate.
 
Normal native Jason Cullen has received the Watson and O’Neil Scholarship. Cullen is the son of Jack and Pam Cullen of Normal. He is a 2010 graduate of Normal West High School and a 2014 graduate of the University of Wisconsin. The Watson and O’Neil Scholarship was established in honor of Dr. John O. Watson’s parents, who made significant sacrifices to send him to medical school. This scholarship is given to a student who plans to complete their residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
 
Plano native Saikrishna Balasubramanian received the Mayme Lawrence MD/JD Scholarship. Balasubramanian is the son of Ganesh and Bhuvana Balasubramanian of Plano, Texas. He is a 2008 graduate of Plano West Senior High School and a 2011 graduate of Austin College in Sherman, Texas.
The Mayme Lawrence MD/JD Scholarship was established in 1995. Lawrence was a Springfield resident and a World War II veteran. She was employed as chief clerk for the Illinois General Assembly. She passed away in 1996.
 
Salem native Bailey Hester received the Dr. Eli and Claire Borkon Scholarship. Hester is the daughter of Brad and Michele Hester of Salem. She is a 2012 graduate of Salem Community High School and a 2016 graduate of Truman State University. The Borkon Scholarship is awarded annually to an SIU medical student from southern Illinois. Borkon worked as an adjunct professor of physiology at SIU for more than 20 years before he was hired as assistant dean at the medical school in Carbondale.
 
Springfield native Jill Haxel received the Kathryn Patton Trust Scholarship.  Haxel is the daughter of Martin and Laurie Haxel of Springfield. She is a 2009 graduate of Sacred Heart – Griffin High School and a 2013 graduate of Saint Louis University. Kathryn G. Patton was one of the original enrollees of the federally recognized Cherokee Nation, the second largest Native American tribe in the US with a jurisdictional area in Oklahoma.
 
Springfield natives Madelyn Fetter, Aliza Hasan and Ben Seadler, along with Jackson Graves of Chatham, received the Kathryn Terry Scholarship. Fetter is the daughter of Rich and Kathy Fetter of Springfield. She is a 2010 graduate of Springfield High School and a 2014 graduate of Indiana University. Hasan is the daughter of Syed and Syeda Hasan of Springfield. She is a 2008 graduate of Lanphier High School and a 2012 graduate of the Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. Seadler is the son of Dave and Kathy Seadler. He is a 2010 graduate of Sacred Heart-Griffin High School and a 2014 graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Graves is the son of Ken and Barb Graves of Springfield. He is a 2010 graduate of Glenwood High School and a 2014 graduate of Milliken University. The Kathryn Terry Scholarship was established in 1994 with funds from her estate. Terry was a long-time patient of the late Dr. Emmett Pearson, professor emeritus of medical humanities at SIU. Terry worked for the Illinois Secretary of State’s office in Springfield for 50 years, where she served as chief editor of the Illinois Blue Book until her retirement in 1985. She was a native of Sidell and earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois.
 
Stonington native Emily Wade received the Kurt Heisler, MD, Scholarship. Wade is the daughter of Trev Wade of Stonington and Catherine Wade of Taylorville. She is a 2013 graduate of Taylorville High School and a 2017 graduate of Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. The Kurt Heisler Medical Student Scholarship Fund was the first scholarship established at the School of Medicine, and since its inception in 1976, the endowment has annually awarded more than $93,000 in scholarship funds to 88 medical students. Heisler was a family medicine physician who practiced in southern Illinois until he retired in 1976.
 
Twenty-five fourth-year students at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine have been awarded scholarships. Five students have received the Alumni Scholarship, which was established by the charter Class of 1976 as a gift in honor of its 25th reunion. The Class of 1977 followed the lead of its predecessor by supporting the fund with reunion gifts. Since then, alumni from all classes contribute to the scholarship annually, increasing the availability of funds. An additional 18 students have also received alumni scholarships, funded by the generosity of the Classes of 1975, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2002, 2004 and 2007. Two students have received the SIU School of Medicine Scholarship. The School of Medicine Scholarship is given annually to third- or fourth-year medical students who have shown academic success and/or performed service to the School of Medicine.
 
Alumni Scholarship recipients:
 
Bunker Hill native Jordan Markel is the son of Paul and Shelle Markel.
 
Homer Glen native Thomas Hu is the son of Michael and D’Ann Hu.
 
Maple Heights native Andriana Stephens is the daughter of Clifford Watson of Maple Heights, Ohio, and Tara Lee of Cleveland, Ohio.
 
Dunlap native Allen Ghareeb is the son of George and Diana Ghareeb.
 
East Moline native Emily Palomaki is the daughter of Jon and Mary Palomaki.
 
Bourbonnais native Brian Ginn is the son of Dr. Dwight and Denise Ginn.
 
Lincoln native Jace Camp is the son of Mike and Cheryl Camp.
 
Mattoon native Megan Goldstein is the daughter of James and Susan Goldstein.
 
Pocahontas native Dakota Gilbert is the son of Steve and Becky Gilbert.
 
Springfield native Dominic Antonacci is the son of Jeff and Angela Antonacci.
 
Mt. Pulaski native Kyley Maxheimer is the daughter of John and Erin Wyss of Mt. Pulaski and TJ and
Holly Surprenant of Washington. She is the wife of Erich Maxheimer of Chestnut.
 
Freeburg native Molly Etling is the daughter of Jim and Pat Etling.
 
Collinsville native Brian Cacioppo is the son of Christopher and Hong Cacioppo.
 
Bethalto native Jennifer Brown is the daughter of David and Pamela Brown.
 
Peoria native Rae Gumayan is the daughter of Marian Gumayan of Peoria and the late Cesar Gumayan.
 
Bloomington native Nicholas Lukert is the son of Dan and Sharon Lukert.
 
O’Fallon native Brandon Churchill is the son of Gregory and Deborah Churchill.
 
Marion native Veronica Whittington is the daughter of Mary Whittington of Hattiesburg, Mississippi and the late Lionel Whittington. She is the wife of Williebe Thorton.
 
Flora native Ian Ridge is the son of Bryan and Diane Ridge. 
 
Paris native Laney Martin is the daughter of Jeff Martin and Theresa Campbell.
 
Marion native Christopher Trammell is the son of George and Sue Trammell.
 
Newton native Tasha Sparks is the daughter of Jerry and Rebecca Sparks.
 
Moline native Grace Hile is the daughter of Bill and Ann Osborne. 
 
SIU School of Medicine Scholarship recipients:
 
Champaign native Sian Best is the daughter of James and Mary Best.
 
Neoga native Hayden Warner is the son of Ron and Kim Warner.
 
 
Gifts received by the Southern Illinois University Foundation support the growth of the School of Medicine. Individuals interested in making a donation can contact the SIU Foundation office at 217-545-2955 weekdays or online at www.siumed.edu/foundation.
 
Note: Pictures are available upon request from pr@siumed.edu.

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